Friday, May 6, 2016

How Charter Schools Weaken Communities They Are Purported to Help

Every time a public school is closed and a charter school is selected to replace it, the following things happen

1. A public space for the entire community is replaced by a private space open to only charter school families.

2. Lifetime teachers with decent salaries and union protections are replaced by low paid "teacher temps" who are "employees at will" and can be fired at a school administrator's discretion

3. A school where children's rights are protected by law is replaced by one where students with behavior issues or who test poorly can be suspended indiscriminately, and where discrimination against Special Needs Students and ELL's can take place without penalty.

4. A school which is public property subject to democratic control is replaced by one where private investors, often the same one's gentrifying low income communities, have major control over school policies.